2023-2024 Season

[cobweb]

Studying the season brochure that arrived, I wonder if the pic of LaFreniere on the cover means we will see her in Symphony in C second movement. Hope so! 

I don't love the All Balanchine II program. Of course I want to see Agon. But I have no idea what Bourree Fantasque is. And Slaughter on Tenth Avenue again, really? Of course they could not get every Balanchine work into the season, but I am struck that they have left out some of Balanchine's most accessible, easy-to-love works: Divertimento No 15, Chaconne, and Mozartiana all come to mind. Any of them would be a whole lot more enjoyable on this program than Slaughter, IMHO. 

[nanushka]

19 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Studying the season brochure that arrived, I wonder if the pic of LaFreniere on the cover means we will see her in Symphony in C second movement. Hope so! 

I don't love the All Balanchine II program. Of course I want to see Agon. But I have no idea what Bourree Fantasque is. And Slaughter on Tenth Avenue again, really? Of course they could not get every Balanchine work into the season, but I am struck that they have left out some of Balanchine's most accessible, easy-to-love works: Divertimento No 15, Chaconne, and Mozartiana all come to mind. Any of them would be a whole lot more enjoyable on this program than Slaughter, IMHO. 

Those are three I was thinking of too. Mozartiana especially, as it feels like it's been awhile (and doesn't seem to come around quite as frequently).

Totally agree about Slaughter — once every 5 years is more than enough for me.

Edited April 22, 2023 by nanushka

[FPF]

54 minutes ago, cobweb said:

But I have no idea what Bourree Fantasque is. 

Bourree Fantasque is a multi-part tutu ballet with music by Chabrier and one of those big, exhilarating Balanchine finales. I saw it for the first and only time in 1989 performed by ABT, and really loved it. In fact, seeing ABT perform that and Theme and Variations convinced me that I should be subscribing to NYCB rather than ABT.

You can see a poor-quality video of Bourree Fantasque here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlX-E8NJ5Zw,  but I would encourage you to just experience it live for the first time and hopefully enjoy it.  Not sure if I will be able to come in and see it, but hoping that I can.

 

[vipa]

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

Studying the season brochure that arrived, I wonder if the pic of LaFreniere on the cover means we will see her in Symphony in C second movement. Hope so! 

I don't love the All Balanchine II program. Of course I want to see Agon. But I have no idea what Bourree Fantasque is. And Slaughter on Tenth Avenue again, really? Of course they could not get every Balanchine work into the season, but I am struck that they have left out some of Balanchine's most accessible, easy-to-love works: Divertimento No 15, Chaconne, and Mozartiana all come to mind. Any of them would be a whole lot more enjoyable on this program than Slaughter, IMHO. 

Yes, what is it with Slaughter? It's not a ballet that warrants repeat viewings IMO. I also think Western Symphony is over programmed. Are these works considered crowd pleasers that sell tickets? I understand that a lot of factors go into programming, I wonder what judgements are made as to the popularity of certain ballets. Orpheus is also back. To me it's really dated, and perhaps almost a foreign language for today's dancers to perform.

I am curious about Bouree Fantasque, I've never seen it. I am pleased that Jewels is back as a full length. 

[cobweb]

4 minutes ago, vipa said:

Yes, what is it with Slaughter? It's not a ballet that warrants repeat viewings IMO. I also think Western Symphony is over programmed.

Agree that both Slaughter and Western Symphony are over programmed, and I'm tempted to add Stars & Stripes into the mix, although I enjoy that one a lot more and it's probably done less often. I also agree about Orpheus being outdated, and I have never warmed up to Tarantella. I think the programs I'm most looking forward to are Dances at a Gathering/Brahms Schoenberg Quartet and Four Temperaments/Liebeslieder. And again, I am really sorry they couldn't find room for easy-to-love gems such as Divertimento, Chaconne, Mozartiana, and Square Dance. None of these calls for a cast of millions, either. 

[nanushka]

29 minutes ago, vipa said:

I also think Western Symphony is over programmed. Are these works considered crowd pleasers that sell tickets?

I’ve got to admit I’m a sucker for those send them home happy closers, and the Western finale does it.

I do really appreciate that they’ve packed in a good diversity of Balanchine styles next fall. So I don’t begrudge them for leaning on some they’ve programmed recently, like Orpheus, even if it may not yet deserve a repeat.

Edited April 22, 2023 by nanushka

[abatt]

In addition to Slaughter I would get rid of the Concert.  It's just not that funny.  I also think we have seen enough Orpheus for the time being.

Would love to see the 3 ballets mentioned above (Mozartiana, Divert. 15, Chaconne).  Will they ever program Davidbundertanze again?  Also, Cortege Hongrois has been out of rep for some time.

 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

I think programming Orpheus was obligatory next season given that it's the 75th anniversary of the company and it was 1/3 of the inaugural NYCB program. But it's not my favorite either.  I wonder if the thinking with Slaughter was that for the all-Balanchine season they wanted a ballet that represented the reasonably lengthy career Balanchine had making dances for Broadway and Hollywood. 

I'd love to see Cortège Hongrois come back soon!

[tutu]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:58 PM, abatt said:

In addition to Slaughter I would get rid of the Concert.  It's just not that funny.  I also think we have seen enough Orpheus for the time being.

Would love to see the 3 ballets mentioned above (Mozartiana, Divert. 15, Chaconne).  Will they ever program Davidbundertanze again?  Also, Cortege Hongrois has been out of rep for some time.

 

Respectfully disagree on the Concert (which I adore), but absolutely agree with everything else you’ve said here, particularly how great it would be to see Cortège and Davidsbundlertanze (that music!) again

[BalanchineFan]

On 4/21/2023 at 7:56 PM, cobweb said:

Studying the season brochure that arrived, I wonder if the pic of LaFreniere on the cover means we will see her in Symphony in C second movement. Hope so! 

I don't love the All Balanchine II program. Of course I want to see Agon. But I have no idea what Bourree Fantasque is. 

Bourree Fantasque is a ballet in several movements. One movement was choreographed on Tanaquil LeClerq and Jerome Robbins and has a lot of "tall woman, short man" jokes in the partnering that are quite funny. SAB did the ballet in full several years ago. It may be an opportunity for dancers like Emily Kikta and Isabella LaFreniere as they can be partnered by any shorter man.

Edited April 27, 2023 by BalanchineFan

[BalanchineFan]

On 4/23/2023 at 7:27 PM, MarzipanShepherdess said:

I think programming Orpheus was obligatory next season given that it's the 75th anniversary of the company and it was 1/3 of the inaugural NYCB program. But it's not my favorite either.

IMO, Orpheus would benefit from coaching from some of the original dancers (if any are still living), or people who danced it under Balanchine. I remember it being shocking (particularly Eurydice's death) twenty or thirty years ago, and it has seemed much less so in recent years. Of course, I've also changed. Perhaps I'm not as shockable.

[susanger]

On 4/19/2023 at 4:48 PM, nysusan said:

I just took a look at my renewal. My $38 standard sub seats are in Second Ring D and it looks like they are still $38 plus a service fee. I tried to add another sub and 2nd ring D was not an option. The least expensive was 2nd ring C at $551 or 68.88 each for a 8 performance standard sub (this may include the service fee).

So it may be that they haven't raised prices on those 2nd ring D seats, but are not making those locations available for new subs. Not happy about that, but its less upsetting than to think that they're doubling the price of the cheap seats. Theoretically they may still be available for something like $38 as single ticket purchases.

The third ring is closed to subscriptions! According to the customer service person I spoke with today, everyone who had 3rd ring subscriptions was moved to the 2nd ring.  The new seats chosen for my two 3rd ring subscriptions are in the C price section ($73) of the 2nd ring and are much more expensive than my 3rd ring seats. The very patient customer service lady said she would put in "change" requests to move me to D priced seating for the two moved subscriptions but that will put me in a seating "queue" where selection will be subject to availability. It infuriates me that this company has so little regard for subscribers. Is their plan to reduce the capacity of the house to orch., 1st and 2nd ring seating and eliminate the subscribers with low-priced subscriptions hoping that they can sell those seats at full price as single non-subscriptions tickets?

[California]

Has anyone found information on how they are handling tickets for the October 11 75th anniversary performance? It's excluded from all the subscription packages (standard and flex) and the web site also says subscription tickets cannot be exchanged into that performance. I assume that performance will be much in demand, and I wonder how/when they'll make it available.

[cobweb]

On 5/6/2023 at 5:23 PM, susanger said:

It infuriates me that this company has so little regard for subscribers. Is their plan to reduce the capacity of the house to orch., 1st and 2nd ring seating and eliminate the subscribers with low-priced subscriptions hoping that they can sell those seats at full price as single non-subscriptions tickets?

My guess is they are grappling with the best way to handle the reduced audience. Alienating subscribers is never a good idea, and reducing the number of low-priced options is not a good idea either. (I personally spent years scraping together every last dollar to see performances at the lowest possible price point, before I could finally afford better tickets without pain.) I hope they can figure out some better solutions. 

Back to contemplating next year's programming, and what I wish they could have included, I recall seeing Glinka's pas de trois with Miami City Ballet during the Balanchine Celebration at City Center in 2018. Does NYCB never do this piece? I remember thinking it was totally delightful and would suit many of the current dancers. 

[BalanchineFan]

On 5/7/2023 at 2:16 PM, California said:

Has anyone found information on how they are handling tickets for the October 11 75th anniversary performance? It's excluded from all the subscription packages (standard and flex) and the web site also says subscription tickets cannot be exchanged into that performance. I assume that performance will be much in demand, and I wonder how/when they'll make it available.

I wonder if they're aiming for a gala type evening. Celebrities, red carpet, etc. Or maybe something just for balletomanes.

[FPF]

The NYCB website is promoting the fall gala, featuring guest dancers and new costumes for Who Cares? 

https://www.nycballet.com/support/special-events/fall-gala

Articles about it:

https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/carolina-herrera-wes-gordon-design-costumes-new-york-city-ballet-1235685577/

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/New-York-City-Ballet-to-Present-2023-Fall-Gala-Featuring-Jerome-Robbins-GLASS-PIECES-More-20230614

[abatt]

Thank goodness they are ditching those awful Santo Loquasto costumes.  

The invitation of "guest artists" is interesting and unusual.  What other companies perform Who Cares?  Royal Ballet?  Does Paris Opera do this work.

[FPF]

What really strikes me as odd about this is that it doesn't look like NYCB is performing Who Cares? at all during the coming year except for the excerpts at the fashion gala. I wonder if they are actually redoing all of the costumes or just the principal dancers' costumes or maybe trying to spread out the costs of redoing all of the costumes over multiple seasons.

Paris Opera Ballet performed it earlier this year. Cast was Leonore Baulac, Valentine Colasante, Hannah O'Neill, and Germain Louvet. 

[maps]

On 6/16/2023 at 11:04 AM, abatt said:

Thank goodness they are ditching those awful Santo Loquasto costumes.  

The invitation of "guest artists" is interesting and unusual.  What other companies perform Who Cares?  Royal Ballet?  Does Paris Opera do this work.

Maybe it's guest vocalists on 10/5 for Who Cares?. 

10/11/23 rep matches a 1948 performance.  3 other fall performances:  CB, Prodigal, Symphony in C.   NYCB doesn't appear to recast Balanchine until a dancer retires or is NA [otherwise engaged or injured].  Fall 2023 is a great opportunity for debuts in Balanchine. 

Limited Who Cares with new costumes and no SD or Donizetti after the KC marvelous debuts?  Odd that Gustave is on 5 shows spring 2024. 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by maps

[abatt]

I had not thought about the fact that the guests may be singers, not dancers.   That makes a lot of sense.

Gustave never really had a full run during its premiere NYCB season because of rampant Covid.  At the performance I attended at which it was scheduled, it was replaced by an excerpt from The Runaway.

[cargill]

I remember a gala a number of years ago where Frederica van Stade sang "The Man I Love"--I don't remember who danced it (maybe MacBride), but I think it was a stand alone performance, since I don't remember other songs.  I found the singing  distracting and the lyrics didn't really match the choreography, since the song is about someone who hasn't turned up yet. ( I just looked it up, and yes, it was MacBride, in 1988, to open the American Music Festival. )

[maps]

 @abatt Gustave is on the rare London tour instead of Pictures which would better represent the company, Ratmansky and choreography. 

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by maps

[pirouette]

Does anyone know whether flex subscribers get to choose the specific seat they get? Or are we only allowed to pick the area (Orchestra A, B, etc.)?  I'm thinking of purchasing a subscription package for the first time, but I really don't want them to assign my seats for me. 

[matilda]

You don't get to pick seats when you buy the subscription but you can make special requests. Also, if you buy six or more shows you can exchange the tickets for free if you don't like the seats, and you can add single tickets at the subscriber price (including during the week before the general public sale). I highly recommend subscribing if you attend more than a few times a year for the per-ticket savings and the flexibility. 

[pirouette]

Thanks for the info and clarification!